pimblr.com

MINNEAPOLIS (AdAge.com) — The big top came to the small screen last night, as NBC’s “Celebrity Circus” became just the latest example of the networks working without a net as they try nearly every reality format to remain relevant during the summer. Indeed, the reality genre dominated, comprising 77% of prime-time programming. NBC, Fox and the CW ran all-reality slates; ABC ran two hours and CBS one.
While inexpensive, reality usually isn’t as rewarding, at least commercially, as it rarely repeats well, and a significant number of viewers reject the genre. The 8 p.m. ET hour, for instance, was all reality and earned only an 8.1/29 cumulative rating and share in the ad-centric 18-to-49 demographic among the five networks. It did begin the night’s highest-rated program, however, as a two-hour version of Fox’s “So You Think You Can Dance?” delivered a 3.4/11.
NBC ran the first hour of a 90-minute “Deal or No Deal,” which dealt the time slot — and the night overall — a 2.2/7. ABC, CBS and the CW also ran reality — but in repeat form — and had the expected results: ABC’s “Wife Swap” (1.4/5), CBS’s “Price Is Right Million Dollar Spectacular” (1.2/4) and the CW’s “America’s Next Top Model” (0.4/1) were all relatively uncompetitive.
The 9 p.m. ET hour was also replete with reality, as a rerun of “Supernanny” on ABC delivered a 1.5/4 and the CW’s “Farmer Wants a Wife” yielded a 0.8/2, as the network finished the night with a 0.6/2. The first half-hour of NBC’s “Circus” also ran within that time frame, delivering an overall 2.3/7, with the 10 p.m. portion winning its time slot. Overall, NBC was second with a 2.2/7.
One drama did run at 9 p.m., a rerun of CBS’s “Criminal Minds,” which delivered a 1.8/5, leading into a repeat of “CSI: NY” (2.1/6). CBS finished third, with a 1.7/5.

adage.com

By Neil Davidson
THE CANADIAN PRESS
It’s not often you see a lawyer fight an engineer in a cage, but those on hand at the MGM Grand Garden Arena will see it right off the bat at UFC 84 in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
The opening bout of the mixed martial arts card pits Christian Wellisch (lawyer) against Shane Carwin (engineer) in a heavyweight battle that marks Carwin’s coming out party in the UFC.
A former star NCAA Division II wrestler and footballer, Carwin played in the 1998 Senior Bowl, attended the NFL combine in Indianapolis, and was once touted as a fifth-round draft pick in the NFL until a back injury cooled the interest. The linebacker still merited a tryout with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Rather than playing arena football for the New England Seawolves, he returned to school and won the Division II national wrestling title in 1999 in Fargo, N.D.
At 6-3 and 260 pounds, Carwin is one of a wave of new big men in the UFC.
Former pro wrestler Brock Lesnar (6-3, 265 pounds) turned heads with his raw power in a submission loss to former heavyweight champion Frank Mir in his UFC debut at UFC 81 in February. And last month in Montreal, former NCAA all-American wrestler Cain Velasquez (6-1, 240) thumped Brad Morris at UFC 83.
Wellisch, a load himself at 6-3 and 237 pounds, trains with Velasquez in San Jose so he knows all about the new breed. He’s also done his research on the 33-year-old Carwin.
"A big strong guy … he likes to take his opponents down and ground and pound them," said the 32-year-old Wellisch, whose fighting nickname is the Hungarian Nightmare.
There’s not that much tape of Carwin to watch. He has won all eight of his fights since turning pro in October 2005, requiring a total of just eight minutes 58 seconds to dispatch his opponents. The longest lasted two minutes 11 seconds. Others were over in 22, 29 and 49 seconds.

sportsnet.ca

CHARLESTON, W.VA. –Hillary Rodham Clinton romped to victory Tuesday in the West Virginia primary, burying Barack Obama in a landslide that seemed unlikely to stop his steady march to the Democratic nomination.
Running in a state tailored to her strengths — with a large turnout of white, rural and working-class voters — Clinton posted one of her biggest winning margins. With nearly all of the vote counted, she was leading Obama 67% to 26%.
Speaking to supporters at Charleston’s downtown convention center, Clinton made clear her intention to keep running, even as she praised Obama.
“There are some who wanted to cut this race short,” she said. “They say, ‘Give up, it’s too hard, the mountain is too high.’ But here in West Virginia, you know a thing or two about rough roads to the top of the mountain. . . . I am more determined than ever to carry on this campaign until everyone has had a chance to make their voices heard.”
Obama, who conceded even before the polls closed, left a voicemail message congratulating the New York senator. He campaigned Tuesday in Missouri, a fall battleground, and focused on the presumptive GOP nominee, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, saying he promised four more years of President Bush’s policies.
There were 28 delegates at stake in West Virginia, too few to shake up the race even if Clinton won them all. Under the party’s allocation system, Clinton won 20 delegates to Obama’s eight, according to the Associated Press.
But Clinton is no longer resting her candidacy on the delegate count. She hopes to persuade party leaders, who hold the balance of power, that she would be the more electable candidate against McCain, based on her support among white, blue-collar voters who have not embraced Obama’s candidacy in the same way as black, more affluent and better-educated voters.

latimes.com

Post TV columnist Lisa de Moraes was online Friday, May 9 at 1 p.m. ET to say a tearful goodbye to Syesha … wait, no, Nanny Brooke. Sorry, the notes are a little mixed up. (Nothing to see here, move along.) So … are you back to watching all your pre-strike shows?
The transcript follows.
Lisa Watches So You Don’t Have To: "American Idol"
On TV discussion transcripts
De Moraes has written "The TV Column" for The Post since 1998. She served as the TV editor for the entertainment industry trade publication the "Hollywood Reporter" for almost a decade.
"How I Met Your Mother": What are the chances they ditch the premise and stop focusing on Ted, by far the most boring character on the show? More Barney and Lily, please.
Lisa de Moraes: Hi. I agree, and it’s a shame they haven’t. There’s that famous story — and, who knows, it may even be true — that the focus of "Family Ties" originally was supposed to be very much on the former-hippie Keaton parents and how they coped with having a conservative son and idiot daughter … only Michael J. Fox so clearly stole every scene, it quickly became his show and the parents became more supporting roles — kind of his straight men. That might be harder to do with this show because, sadly, it’s not called "Friends," it’s called "How I Met Your Mother," and the gimmick is that the show starts every week with the guy — supposed to be Ted — talking to his bored children about how he met their mother. Of course, they always could employ the cable network school of name changing and start calling the show "HIMYM" only, like the Discovery company does with TLC. I mean, does anyone still think that’s The Learning Channel? Ditto A&E — surely no one there still pretends it’s about Arts & Entertainment.

washingtonpost.com

Island runner Janelle Kraus started strong at the Olympic marathon trials in Boston Sunday. She was within seconds of a 6:00 mile pace at the halfway point. But then a hip injury that has plagued her since February manifested itself. Her gait and grimace told the story — she would not qualify for the Olympic team.
She “hung on” despite the pain, her former high school cross country coach Cliff Clark reported after watching the race, to finish 57th in a field of 162 with a time of 2:45:01.
Mr. Clark described the race conditions as “perfect. The weather was clear, the temperature in the mid-40s with a modest wind at the 8 a.m. start.”
Ms. Kraus, interviewed via email this week, was moved by the event. “The atmosphere in Boston on that day was unlike any race I have ever seen before; there were crowds at every turn cheering for everyone in that race. I am so grateful to all my family and friends that were there to support me.” In addition to Mr. Clark, the fans cheering her on in Boston included parents Chuck and Linda Kraus, Janelle’s siblings Amanda and Patrick, uncle and aunt Ken and Gina Kraus, grandparents Ceil and Charlie Kraus and many friends including Melanie LoBue, Fay and Warren Walker and Kevin Barry.
Mr. Clark described the course, which “started near the Prudential building in mid-town Boston and made multiple loops around mid-town, across the Charles River via the Harvard Bridge to Memorial Drive (between the Charles River and MIT campus) and back across the bridge to mid-town.
“Janelle was running magnificently through the first half (13.1 miles) and a little beyond. Note one of the pictures that shows the halfway clock at 1:19:01. … She looked great through that point, from every measure. She really looked like she would run the second half faster than the first.”

www2.timesreview.com

Saves you time. Saves you money. Makes you smarter.
KIRKLAND – It’s not that the intricate subtleties of blocking are not exciting or important, but when it already has been determined that the first pick of today’s NFL draft will be an offensive tackle there is not a lot of room for athletic flights of fancy.
Indeed, among today’s top 10 picks, seven are projected to be defensive players, with only Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan and Arkansas running back Darren McFadden giving this draft a touch of flair.
Michigan tackle Jake Long already has negotiated a five-year, $57.75 million contract with the Miami Dolphins, leaving little drama for who will chosen with the first pick.
Thereafter, the majority of the picks will be a who’s who of defensive linemen.
“I think overall draft-wise maybe it is average,” Seahawks vice president of player personnel Ruston Webster said of this year’s talent. “I think there is pretty good depth at certain positions. Out of every draft there are always players that come out of the later rounds. But I would say overall it is an average draft.”
This is the first year the NFL is changing the draft’s format, going from three rounds the first day to just two, with the remaining five rounds on Sunday. Also, there will be only 10 minutes between picks in the first round instead of 15 minutes, decisions driven primarily by television ratings.
Seahawks general manager Tim Ruskell said teams have had to adjust accordingly, holding discussions about potential trades beforehand to map out possibilities.
“We have gone 25 years the old way,” Ruskell said. “But there are times when it drags. That can be tough. It will be a different tempo. We have to get used to it. But I think it was a good change. I think it was necessary.”

thenewstribune.com

(Recasts, adds analysts comments, details from research notes, share update)
By Biswarup Gooptu
BANGALORE, April 21 (Reuters) - Ametek Inc (AME.N: Quote, Profile, Research), which makes electronic instruments and electric motors, posted better-than-expected first-quarter earnings, helped by strong sales at its two major segments, sending its shares to a new year high.
The company also forecast full-year earnings above analysts estimates and expects revenue growth to be in the high teens.
Ametek said exposure to aerospace and power markets, and the impact of its recent acquisitions should help it meet its earnings estimates, even as the U.S. economy slows.
The company expects earnings of $2.47 to $2.52 a share for the year and 61 cents to 63 cents a share for the forthcoming quarter.
Analysts were expecting earnings of $2.45 a share, before items, on revenue of $2.4 billion, according to Reuters Estimates. For the second quarter, they expect earnings of 62 cents a share on revenue of $595.33 million.
In a research note to clients, Wachovia analyst Wendy Caplan retained Ametek as her “stock of the year” and raised her earnings estimates for 2008 and 2009.
“Ametek’s relentless focus on cost reduction should continue to broadly drive profits,” Caplan said. “Acquisitions continue to be a source of future earnings, even more so as the pricing environment improves.” Continued…

reuters.com

WADE PAYNE / AP
Tennessee senior guard Chris Lofton, shooting against Kentucky in a game earlier this month, leads a talented Volunteers team. Tennessee is a No. 2 seed that might have what it takes to win it all.
It’s all about the Hack-a-tology now, an exhaustive, ranting look at the NCAA tournament. Now that the field of 65 has been set, let’s rank the teams according to how likely they are to win the national title, based on both the team’s ability and its draw.
(WARNING: If you choose to treat the following as advice and wind up getting creamed in your tournament pool, I will deny I ever made these predictions.)
65. Coppin State. The MEAC champs are the first 20-loss team ever to make the tournament. They won’t get past Mount St. Mary’s in the play-in game.
64. Mount St. Mary’s. The Mountaineers will get past the play-in game, but then North Carolina awaits.
63. Texas-Arlington. The Mavericks won the Southland tournament after finishing seventh in the regular season. They are a great shooting team (47.9 percent, 23rd best in the nation), which might keep them in the game for a half, but Memphis will overwhelm them.
62. Mississippi Valley State. The Delta Devils, who won the SWAC, lost 71-26 to Washington State earlier this season. Now they get UCLA, so I’m predicting a 57-6 final score.
61. American. NCAA tournament newbies, the Eagles won the Patriot League to get here, and their reward is a shootout with Tennessee. Combined, the teams chuck up about 43 three-pointers a game. Tennessee might want to stay away from a shooting contest with American, however. The Eagles ranked third in Division I in three-point percentage at 40.9.
60. UMBC. The University of Maryland-Baltimore County, is a first-timer at the Big Dance. Which means the Retrievers will stand against the wall and watch Georgetown thrill the crowd.

seattletimes.nwsource.com

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
INDIANAPOLIS — It was rough out on these mean streets of “Nap” town last night.
The NFL types hit the streets after a long day of watching prospects at the RCA Dome.
Oakland head coach Lane Kiffin was out and about. He was at Nicky Blaine’s, a popular cigar bar, with his father and Tampa Bay assistant Monte Kiffin. Lane Kiffin was later seen cutting the rug at Ike & Jonesys. Maybe we can look for him on “Dancing with the Stars” in the future.
Also spotted at Ike & Jonesys: New York Giants general manager Jerry Reese.
That’s where news got out that Arkansas running back Darren McFadden is not only battling a paternity suit, but that he told a team during an interview Saturday night that he has two children on the way. In addition to meeting with the Falcons, he met with the Raiders, who pick fourth in the draft, and several other teams.
McFadden created a major buzz at the NFL scouting combine when he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.27 seconds on Sunday.
McFadden ran right after Georgia running back Kregg Lumpkin ran a 4.64. On McFadden’s second timed 40-yard run, he was clocked at 4.33 seconds.
Just getting ready for another day.
My colleague Steve Wyche is currently in the morning’s first quarterback and receiver session. He just sent me a text message about Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm. That’s big news if he’s throwing because he skipped the Senior Bowl. Steve will update on that later.
I’m going into the second session, courteous of an access deal brokered by Alex Marvez, president of the Pro Football Writer’s Association and will check out Matt Ryan if he takes part.

ajc.com